Il mio libro preferito in assoluto é e (penso) rimarrà: "Arancia Meccanica" di Anthony Burgess. Letto la prima volta più di 10 anni fa, mi aveva sbalordito in un modo mai sentito con qualsiasi altro libro letto. Mi era talmente piaciuto che lo avevo identificato come una sorta di cimelio della letteratura, difficilmente eguagliabile, perché Arancia Meccanica é l'emblema della libertà, senza edulcorazioni del caso. Così mi ero informato sull'autore e avevo identificato altri suoi libri che mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere: "1984 & 1985", una sorta di continuo di "1984" di Orwell, anche se penso sarà qualcosa di particolare e non una sorta di scopiazzamento del capolavoro orwelliano, perché Burgess ha una penna molto originale e personale. Me ne sono accorto leggendo "Arancia Meccanica" e ancora di più nella mia prima sua rilettura. Sì, perché avevo così paura di restare deluso da un suo qualsiasi altro libro, dato che "Arancia Meccanica" lo ritenevo e lo ritengo ancora, inarrivabile. E poi "Il seme inquieto", titolo quanto mai curioso ed enigmatico.
Così passano diversi anni e della bibliografia di Burgess, conto ancora soltanto due letture di "Arancia Meccanica", straordinarie, ma era ora di passare ad altro, quindi era arrivato il momento d'iniziare "Il seme inquieto". Il timore di incappare in una delusione era sempre dietro l'angolo, anche perché questo libro ha un'aura di critica non da poco. Di solito questo m'incuriosisce ancor di più, ma in questo caso la curiosità si era trasformata in profonda incertezza.
Ora che l'ho concluso, posso affermare che l'autore sia a tutti gli effetti uno scrittore e un pensatore straordinario e che scrive per far riflettere, perché non ci sono, praticamente, pagine superflue senza un fondo di riflessione, tutto é stato realizzato per far sì che il lettore alzi la testa sulle varie problematiche sociali, politiche ed esistenziali.
Quello che sbalordisce é il tono, a volte molto diretto e violento che fa arrivare il messaggio come un pugno nello stomaco, ma allo stesso tempo é raccontato in modo estremamente grottesco e soprattutto farsesco, teatrale, come se tutta la vita non sia altro che uno spettacolo e questo é così attuale da risultare inquietante. Scritto più di 60 anni fa, nello stesso anno di "Arancia Meccanica"... nel senso, Burgess ha scritto due romanzi di tale riscontro sociologico, politico e di critica ai governi autoritari, in un anno solo?! Stupefacente!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt6RZ...

Страхотна антиутопия - с богато въображение, отблъскваща и гнусна. Странно звучи това за комплимент може би, но антиутопиите са такива по определение.

Започна плавно и сънливо, грубостта обаче назря отведнъж; така става и в живота. Опитвам се да си представя какво е предизвикала книгата, когато се е появила през шейсетте. Осмиването на политическото устройство на обществото (каквото и да е то) е безмилостно, Бърджес добре ги умее тези работи.

Но романът се фокусира върху много други теми, свързани с инстинктите, културата, религията и секса, със свръхпопулацията, плодовитостта, държавния контрол, милитаризма, историята, при това без въобще да изпада в сложни словесни лабиринти и забулени философствания. Всичко е чисто, леснодостъпно и бързо за четене и усвояване. Харесвам наглед лесни книги, които обаче, за да ги разбере човек, трябва да прочете и размисли повече. Това ги прави доста по-трудни в действителност. Който разбрал - разбрал...

Според мен от този роман би станал чуден филм.

Изобщо Бърджес е много комплексен писател, който има усет и който винаги свързва двата полюса - от едната страна е обичайното ненатрапливо желание за четене на добър роман, а от другата стоят високата обща култура, ценностните системи, информираното знание и голямото въображение.

An incredible book, better than Clockwork Orange and a perfect endowment of projected woes with ancient humanism. One of my top five favorite science fiction novels of all time.

Anthony Burgess is probably best known (at least among Americans) for his novel A Clockwork Orange. Like A Clockwork Orange, The Wanting Seed takes place in a near future society that is in the first stages of decline.

This book is hilarious and contains such things as reprocessing dead humans, promoting homosexual behavior as a way of population control, famine, and fake wars for the benefit of humanity as a whole. These things may not sound funny, but Burgess's language skills shine here, and offer great commentary on the danger of becoming obsessed with our survival while we forget why we want to survive in the first place. There are many twists and turns in the book, and it should be read for the ending alone. I'll give a hint: it has something to do with perpetual war.

Mildly offensive (homophobic) with an air of hysteria. The lament for traditional gender roles leaves me particularly cold.

The style is visual and emotional and enriches the text to the extent that the author's failure to anticipate technological advances (a general feature of quality dystopian fiction) in, for example, controlling reproduction and surveillance, is mostly unnoticed.

The novel is clearly demarcated into three parts (the urban, rural and military experiences of the protagonist) which mirror the three phases that the society is supposed to turn through, giving the whole novel a kind of satisfying symmetry.

The gay paramilitaries beating up honest heteros and persecuting breeders? Puh-leez.

I am a sucker for a good 1984-esque book. Also, I adore Burgess and all his linguistic talents. I loved his idea of cyclical history, one that is at least somewhat comforting in the midst of current economic crises. This is a must-read for any Burgess fan.

100% satire. All pretty surface level stuff, I thought. Never really wowed or surprised me much. I wonder why this was Burgess's personal favorite. Seems an author's personal favorite is rarely the readers' favorite. Oh well. Moving on.

If you enjoy lackluster writing, prejudices from 30 years ago, unrelatable characters, and inexplicable plot twists, then this is the novel for you! If these things annoy you as much as they annoy me, then this is probably not worth reading.

Honestly, the most amusing part of the novel was completely unintentional, because things we take for granted in modern society (Biracial people! Gays! Non-conformity to gender norms! VEGETARIANS!) are the crux of what makes this future world a dystopia. It reminded me of a late-written Agatha Christie novel, where the writer's bitterness and disapproval of the way society is swinging is palpable. Except instead of having interesting plot keeping you involved, all you have in The Wanting Seed is Tristam and Beatrice-Joanna, wandering around being dull and confusing (Now he hates her! Now he's crazy! Now she's giving birth in an outhouse! NOW HE LOVES HER AND FORGIVES HER!) I finished this book mostly because Burgess' terror at what is completely normal now was mildly amusing.

I do not, generally, think speculative fiction should be judged on how accurate it ends up being. In this particular case, however, the dystopian future aligns bizarrely with a modern reactionary's view of the present: one where the state promotes queerness and the bravest thing you can possibly do is be a straight, Christian man who wants a large family and is disgusted by gay people. In short, it has aged very poorly even before you consider how wrong it was about overpopulation. The extent to which this is because Burgess was a Tory versus because he was mistaken about the issues humanity would face in the near future (or because he needed to smuggle in his own lobotomized-Hegelian theories of history, presented as so obviously true they don't need to be tested or complicated with any counterexamples) is not a super interesting question to me, even if those strands could be isolated. The book does flip the script in the last third, presenting fascist fascism as just as bad as liberal fascism, and admittedly making it more politically interesting than it first seemed. Right-wing influencers will discover this book and champion the first two thirds while ignoring the rest if any of them ever learn to read. It’s well-written, at least.

"The Wanting Seed," penned by the extraordinarily versatile Anthony Burgess, is a dystopian novel that takes the reader on an intriguing exploration of human nature, societal norms, and the cyclical nature of civilization. I find myself riveted by its complex themes and Burgess's adept storytelling, and thus, I'm awarding it a five-star rating.

Set in an overpopulated future where the government aggressively promotes homosexuality as a means of population control, the novel follows the journey of Tristram and Beatrice-Joanna Foxe as they navigate a society that views their heterosexual relationship and desire to have children as deviant. Burgess's ability to craft such a thought-provoking and unconventional premise is truly commendable.

The novel exhibits Burgess's unique knack for creating richly developed characters that are as flawed as they are relatable. Tristram and Beatrice-Joanna, in their pursuit of personal happiness and freedom, encapsulate the human spirit's resilience amidst societal constraints.

Burgess's dystopian world is marked by its cyclicality, transitioning from repression to anarchy and back again. The author’s vision of a future where human instincts are either suppressed or allowed to run wild is a compelling commentary on the potential consequences of extreme societal regulations. This cyclical approach to societal development is a fascinating concept, offering a fresh perspective on the dystopian genre.

"The Wanting Seed" is a challenging read due to its complex themes and the disturbing nature of its dystopian world. However, it's this very complexity and audacious exploration of societal norms that make it a brilliant piece of literature. It is a novel that demands contemplation, incites discomfort, and ultimately, leaves a lasting impression.

In conclusion, "The Wanting Seed" is a masterstroke from Burgess, exhibiting his unique blend of creative storytelling, nuanced character development, and insightful social commentary. It's a thought-provoking journey that invites readers to reflect on societal norms, human nature, and the future of our civilization, hence my five-star rating.

First published in 1962, it is a dystopian novel, but absurdly out there as far as imagination and word usage. Overpopulation and, as a consequence, the lack of food, seems to be the main problem - but there are many other issues. The government has come up with novel solutions and uses lots of propaganda. Hard for me to rate - there were parts I really liked - and I see some parallels to today - but I'm not sure I liked the ending.

How does one describe the indescribable? This book has had me obsessed throughout, and I apparently spent 3 hours and 49 minutes reading this (spread over a couple of days). That's how enthralling it is, and it's considerably more complicated than most of what I've been reading lately (no slight intended, it's just the truth).

I came upon this intending to read A Clockwork Orange as I imagine so many people come across Burgess. I've also intended to read this author's work for a few years, as he's classic (for a bit I didn't even know Clockwork Orange was his).

Naturally, as I am cheap, I turned to e-books from my local library to get a taste of Burgess. I was hoping to read the aforementioned A Clockwork Orange; alas, they only had the audiobook and I'm not a huge fan of those. However, this spectacular work popped up available for me to borrow.

Needless to say this will not be the last Anthony Burgess book I am going to read.

Ever wanted to take a long strange trip without using anything illicit? That's what this book is. You're forced into another world, much of which remains unexplained even until the very end. The author is good at ushering you into this land of confusion. Threads unravel and you begin to feel the motivations of the characters and the cracks in the strange society that Burgess portrays.

The plot is nearly irrelevant. However the novel opens with a set-up that would chill anyone who's not a complete psychopath to the bone: a mother being told that her infant son is being sent to the "Department of Agriculture"... to be turned into fertilizer. Screw Brave New World, we are on another level of dystopian horror here.

Scenes ebb and flow throughout the novel. I cannot exactly call it non-linear, although it feels that way sometimes. In a sense nothing happens, but everything is happening.

The stroke of genius, the entire purposeful, page-turning element you will find here is how Burgess tackles extraordinarily sensitive and relevant topics in a way that can only be described a distinctive. This book is disturbing, revolting, and occasionally terrifying. It is also graceful and magnificently composed.

Some of the topics you will find discussed here include: religion/atheism, government, heterosexuality and homosexuality, contraception, abortion, population control, the role of children in society, the role of adults in society, the nuclear family, police brutality, the ethics of consuming meat, food supply chains, prison, wars, survivor's guilt, death, and several bizarre dystopian tropes that might be found in other novels... yet seemed fairly distinct to me. Much of this will turn your stomach.

Yet the beauty in all of this is that Burgess refuses to show his hand. One nearly gets the sense that he's not exactly giving an opinion but rather telling a story. Ultimately, I think this gets into the typical dystopian "governments can be scary" thing but I'm not even certain that was the intent here. This book simply exists for your enjoyment and for your imagination and opinion to run wild.

A truly unique, creative, and special work. I strongly recommend this.